Esquimalt plans kitchen-scrap collection

Jun 01 2012

Esquimalt is planning a kitchen-scrap collection program in light of the pending ban on organics at the Hartland Landfill.

Acting Mayor Coun. David Schinbein said given the pending ban, the township has little choice.

"If we say, 'No, we're not going to do it,' then there's going to be some sort of a fine put on whatever goes to the Hartland Landfill," Schinbein said. "So if we did nothing, we'd have to pay that penalty."

The Capital Regional District board decided last month that household organics would be banned from the landfill beginning Jan.1, 2015. In preparation, it is offering municipalities an incentive of $20 a tonne for source-separated organics delivered to a CRD approved transfer station or composting facility in 2013 and 2014. It also will begin charging a 20 per cent surcharge on garbage loads containing household organics beginning in 2014.

Esquimalt paid $175,157 in tipping fees at the landfill in 2011. If a 20 per cent surcharge was applied, it would cost the municipality an additional $30,000 to $40,000, says a staff report. Once the ban is imposed the figure would likely increase as additional fines would likely be levied against violators, says the report.

On the other hand, the $20-a-tonne incentive would reduce the tipping fee to $87 a tonne from $107 a tonne which could bring a saving of about $23,000.

There are still a lot of unanswered questions, said Schinbein, such as what the municipality potentially will have to spend, possibly including the purchase of a collection truck and totes.

"My concern is, I want to know how much it's going to cost," he said. "Are we going to have to buy a truck at half a million dollars?

"Then there's the issue of the bins that are going to be out in front of the buildings. Who's going to pay for those? Then what about apartment buildings? What about condos?

"There's still a whole bunch of questions to be asked out there and there's a price tag that goes with that."

Council staff say a further report on those aspects will be provided to the council in the fall.